ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

“El Dorado floats out of the speakers like a cool canyon breeze, and I love it. … The subtleties within the production make it a bottomless pool of hidden gems for the listener to discover.” – Jonathan Tyler, of Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

“Wesley’s themes are purely American as he examines man’s search for meaning, and his lyrical prowess allows him to stand tall amongst his contemporaries and the greats that precede him. Truly, an artist is at work here.” – Beau Patrick Bedford, producer

Wesley Geiger has spent a lot of time on the road, and his debut album dignifies the journey.Throughout the El Dorado project, Wesley divided his time between Texas and California -- earning a degree in music in the Los Angeles area and working in Dallas during breaks from school. He drove his pickup the 1,500 miles between those two cities more than a dozen times, and those trips significantly influenced his songwriting. He often spent time exploring the southwest, camping off the beaten path and absorbing the silence of the desert. He immersed himself in the musical heritages of Texas and California. Legendary artists such as Gram Parsons, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Townes van Zandt and Neil Young became influences. And he got to know the art of more recent songwriters such as Ryan Adams, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and Jeff Tweedy (Wilco). Works by contemporary American authors Wendell Berry, John Steinbeck and Wallace Stegner informed his understanding of our relationships with geography and the road.The result is El Dorado, a compelling nine-song album that explores the distance between getting lost and being found. El Dorado was produced and mixed by Beau Patrick Bedford, primarily at a small cabin north of Dallas where Wesley and Beau escaped the noise of the city to craft an expansive sonic landscape. Each song features the impeccable artistry of many great North Texas musicians, including The Texas Gentlemen and McKenzie Smith of Midlake.